Whether you're selling long term care insurance, disability coverage or supplemental life insurance, every advisor knows that at the end of the day, it's about closing the sale. Conquering those last few steps can be a challenge.

Clients can get nervous, skeptical or tune out completely. So what can an experienced advisor do to reach the endgame? Contributing writer Chelsey Emmelhainz went into the Senior Market Advisor archives to find some timeless advice to help make 2010 your best year ever:

  • Be aware of your communication method. One SMA contributor nailed this concept on the head, saying, "We've found that if you put a picture in front of clients, they'll get it in 10 seconds. If you put 20 pages of insurance documentation in front of them, it puts them to sleep." In short, if your clients' eyelids are starting to droop, consider "pepping up" your presentation.
  • Keep them engaged, interested and excited. Nothing drops a sale quicker than boredom. To combat this common deal-breaker, ask lots of questions: "Asking questions to solicit feedback during the closing presentation is imperative to maintaining control of the meeting and helps you gauge the prospect's feelings to know if you are on the right track."
  • Make a personal connection. Sometimes it takes a little more heart to get a prospect completely on board with your products. In LTCI sales, for instance, this can be especially challenging. Read your clients as the humans they are and realize when a personal touch is necessary: "…What I do is say, 'Tell me about your grandparents.' Because they would have seen their parents taking care of their grandparents … It has made a world of difference in starting an empathetic conversation where we can now talk about what that was like."
  • Reaffirm your dedication. You're not going to close every sale, every time. And when you don't, confirming your continued interest in the prospect's financial security can be the initiating factor for next time. The way to do this is simple, yet often overlooked: "You will never be successful if you do not have follow through … So you've got to do that — follow up to find out…It allows another contact with that client. If there's still any questions or they want it run in a different way, we're building a relationship." Leave your cards, leave highlighted application forms, and leave an opening for the next opportunity.

In the end, when prepping for the wrap-up, SMA columnist Jack Marrion provides some ultimate words of wisdom: "…See the sale from the consumer's point of view. What is the consumer's real problem, and does your solution fit? If you correctly address a need with the right message, the consumer will take care of the close."

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